NIH Reminder: Application Requirements for Foreign Components
The School of Medicine research community is reminded of from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding application requirements for projects involving activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators. This notice serves as a reminder of longstanding application requirements for projects involving activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators.
Applications that do not include the required “Foreign Justification” attachment will be withdrawn and will not be reviewed.
The NIH notice, titled “,” outlines the necessary steps and documentation required for such projects. It is crucial for all researchers and project coordinators to familiarize themselves with these requirements to ensure the successful submission and review of grant applications.
For detailed information, please refer to the official NIH notice
Reminder: Application Requirements for Projects Involving Activities Outside of the United States or Partnerships with International Collaborators.
Notice Number:
Release Date: April 23, 2025
Purpose
This notice serves as a reminder of longstanding application requirements for projects involving activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators.
NIH supports properly conducted and principled international collaborations that are integral for our country to remain competitive. These international collaborations must present special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talents, resources, populations, or environmental conditions in other countries which are not readily available in the United States, or which provide augmentation of existing United States resources. In addition, collaborations must have specific relevance to the mission and objectives of the awarding Institute, Center or Office, and have the potential for significantly advancing the health sciences in the United States.
In order for NIH to fully assess all foreign activities and collaborations prior to award, the SF-424 R&R Other Project Information Form requires applicants to indicate whether the project involves activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators. If the applicant checks 鈥淵es鈥� to this question, they must include a 鈥淔oreign Justification鈥� attachment in Field 12, Other Attachments. This justification must describe special resources or characteristics of the research project (e.g., human subjects, animals, disease, equipment, and techniques), including the reasons why the facilities or other aspects of the proposed project are more appropriate than a domestic setting. In the body of the text, begin the section with a heading indicating “Foreign Justification” and name the file 鈥淔oreign Justification.鈥�
As a reminder, this attachment is required for all applications that involve activities outside of the United States or partnership with international collaborators, regardless of whether the foreign component will receive funds from the NIH award.
Applications that do not include this attachment, as required, will be withdrawn and will not be reviewed.